Rich Iott"s "military" record.

Rich is a proud member of the Ohio Military Reserve, a component of the Adjutant General’s Department of the State of Ohio, where he holds the rank of Colonel. He is in his 28th year of service. He is a graduate of the USMC Command and Staff College and the USAF Air War College. He has been awarded the highly coveted Israeli jump wings and the Senior Parachutist wings of The Netherlands.

A few questions on Col Iott's military record:
Ever been active duty? (The Ohio Military Reserve is not to be confused with the Ohio National Guard, Ohio Air National Guard, The Army or Air Force Reserve or any other component of the Department of Defense)
How did he attain the rank of Colonel?
How does one earn "highly coveted" awards from two of America's allies unless one has been in combat with those Nation's military forces?

I don't know, maybe Col Iott served in the Army or Marine Corps and was in Kosovo, maybe he was in the active duty Air Force at one point and served in Desert Shield/Storm. If so, good on him. However, If so, its kinda funny that he would leave any of that out of his bio, right? I mean he calls himself a Colonel. With all due respect, sir. Do tell.

While the polish princess has compared Al Qeada and Osama Bin laden to American revolutionary heros...

Oh but you go ahead and query the mans military record.....get back with what you dig up eh?

“Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.”

While I don't know how Iott attained the rank of Colonel I do know that Colonel Sanders attained his rank from the special 11 herbs and spices!

Statements made are the opinion of the writer who is exercising his first amendment right to freedom of speech. Freedom of speech in the United States is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and are generally permitted.

Is that the real world equivalent of the Naval Reserves from The Simpsons?

TV Announcer:Daybreak, Jakarta. The proud men and women of the Navy are protecting America's interests overseas, but you're in Lubbock, Texas hosing down a statue, because your in the Naval Reserve. Once you complete basic training, you only work one weekend a month, and most of that time your drunk of your ass. The Naval Reserve: America's 17th line of defense, between the Mississippi National Guard, and the American League of Women Voters.

Yes, I think we're not getting all the info about military service, or how one would receive parachuting awards from allies.

As far as the Ohio Military Reserve, it doesn't seem to have any connection to those activities as it "is a component of the Ohio Adjutant General's Department and serves under the governor as commander in chief. Its primary mission is to provide a fully-manned and mission-ready civil support and sustainment brigade to support the state's Emergency Support Function 6 (mass care) and Emergency Support Function 7 (logistics and resource support) during natural or man-made disasters or other threats to homeland security" (http://ohmr.ohio.gov/ accessed on Sept. 18, 2010).

Mr. Iott's service to country and his bravery are unquestionable. Although he attained the rank of sergeant, we continued to call him "Private Iott" because we liked the sound. He accepted this in good measure, just smiling and shaking his head as he gave us our day's orders. Rich doesn't like to talk about it, but he served with distinction in the jungles of Vietnam, fighting the V.C. while keeping his troop safe from wayward napalm bombs. He and I were together at Mi Lai, fighting shoulder to shoulder in a glorious American battle victory.

What years did Iott serve in Vietnam? It's odd that he never mentions that.

Specifically, when did you and he serve together at Mi Lai [sic]. Civilian survivors were moved to a camp (My Lai 2) shortly after the My Lai Massacre in the original village, which took place in 1968, when Rich Iott would have been 17 years old. It seems he would have been too young to serve at the original village, before/during/or shortly after the massacre.

Indeed the dates certainly don't line up for the poster who identified himself as 'donwert'. (And if you follow the link from the name you get an image of Don Wert the baseball player.)
Don Wert the baseball player was playing 3rd base for Detroit from '64-'70 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Wert). By the way, he was also born in 1938; which made him far too old to serve in combat, unless he was a career man, which he wasn't. My Lai (not spelled as the questionable Mr. Wert presented it as 'Mi Lai'), happened on March 16, 1968, not after Mr. Wert's career.
So, I suggest to all these readers that at the least, the poster, who calls himself donwert and identifies with a Don Wert baseball card, may be a fake.
How do I know the dates and locations? I served in an area of operations which overlayed My Lai, in southern I corp, as a combat infantryman in '69.
It is also obvious to me, and I'm sure anyone else who served in combat there, you didn't "keep his troop safe from wayward napalm bombs". How the hell does one do that???
As for a 'glorious American battle victory', this guy hasn't a clue. Even if you didn't serve and sat on your couch for that decade and watched the news, you know we got our butt kicked. The NVA won. Remember them rolling into Saigon? Putting their flag on the palace??
Now, it would be interesting to know what you, the so-called Mr. Wert, think these terms mean: "short", "MOS", "horse pills"; and I would like to know what LZ you think you served off of, since you say you "served shoulder to shoulder" in your make believe ville of 'MiLai'. And what brigade and division did you serve with? (BTW, it happened in Son My village.)

No, whoever you really are, it appears you fibbed yourself into quite a little hole here and took the questionable background of your candidate along with you. Good Job!

Now, as for this silliness of his serving in the "Ohio Military Reserve, a component of the Adjutant General’s Department of the State of Ohio" and attaining the rank of Colonel; since that organization is not in anyway related and should not be construed with the National Guard, Army Reserve or any other reserve of the national armed forces, I would suggest you may want to consider it somewhere between the Eagle Scouts and the Lions Club; and I intend no disrespect to either of those organizations. They do great work, and I certainly wouldn't ask them to serve in combat. I also don't think they have anyone with the rank of Colonel. No, my opinion is that Mr. Iott and his gang of pretenders who, by his own statement have been masquerading as warriors for about 35 years, and doing no more than what most of us did as very small children in the 1950's and played "army"; that they haven't the brass to actually serve. As children, we played out such fantasies out of respect and admiration for our fathers who had served in WWII. So the question remains, "Why didn't Mr. Iott serve in the REAL Armed Forces in the first place???

As for the meritorious International ribbons he claims to have received, would he mind showing the Orders by which they were offered and accepted?

Now if Mr. Iott truly did serve in Vietnam, I applaud him, and offer him the same acknowledgment I offer to all returning combat Veterans, "Welcome Home Brother". But if he or the so-called Mr. Wert are not telling the truth, and are attempting to ride on the history and valor of those of us who did serve, all for political gain, then Shame, Shame, Shame On You.

And Billy, did you serve?
You forget, the reservists you speak of are not national corps.
Stop bending the truth to make those who 'play pretend' to be on the same level of those who DID serve and DID pay our share to this great country.

The OMR is not the "reserves" as people tend to think of them. They are not in service of the country nor could they ever be. They are a State Defense Force and are called up to augment that of the ONG and State Police in times of distress, mostly in natural disaster situations although they have can be called up in times chaos i.e. rioting.

It's best to think of them as a "reserve" of our State Troopers even though that's not their definition either. However they will serve in the same capacity when called up.

Most wouldn't classify it as a military record but their service is none-the-less honorable and true to the state of Ohio. But people tend to confuse service in the OMR with that of the Army reserves and the National Guard and they are in fact, very different.

And Progress22 the OMR cannot serve in National conflicts like those you and donwert listed. Just as the State Troopers cannot serve in national conflicts in that capacity.

Additionally "highly coveted" awards are easier attained with higher rank. I.e. when I was a Lance Corporal I was awarded a Naval Achievement Medal (NAM) for work above and beyond. However now as a Lieutenant a NAM is awarded as a end-of-tour award and isn't as prestigious for the rank, however a Navy Commendation Medal or a Meritorious Service Medal are considered for my rank as above-and-beyond awards. So that could be the reason for the "highly coveted" awards, attained for work at a higher rank and awarded justly.

I smell a Chickenhawkt.
This guy Iott is blowing smoke up everyone's arse about his military claims of being in the Corps and being a parachutist with different countries jump wings! How come no jump wings from the Marine Corps like one would earn from serving in Div. or Force Recon or the various Anglico companies.
He's old enough to served in Nam so why isn't that in his bio? I'll tell you why cause he's a chickenhawk who likes to play shoot-em games that no one get's hurt playing!
He claims to have been in the Ohio Military Reserve for 28 years (since 1982).That would mean he joined the reserve at 31 . This Ohio Military Reserve is nothing but a excuse to excuse to get out the house on Saturday mornings.Why didn't he jump the Marine Corps Reserve?
He's phoney!